Amy O’Brien, assistant director of Prevent Blindness Iowa, works to educate the public about eye health and safety. Recently released statistics show that in Iowa, the economic burden of vision loss and eye disorders includes direct costs of $695 million, with indirect costs of $771 million.

What is your role at Prevent Blindness Iowa?

My main responsibilities are marketing, social media and grant writing. However, since we are a smaller organization, I also help with fundraising and programs.

How many Iowans face vision loss and how does Prevent Blindness help raise awareness?

• Of nearly 1.4 million Iowans age 40 and older, almost 37,000 are visually impaired and an estimated 17,249 are legally blind.

• The prevalence of vision impairment, including blindness, ranks Iowa one of the highest in the nation at 3.13 percent. The national rate is 2.8 percent.

• 28,304 Iowans age 50 and older have macular degeneration.

• More than 278,000 Iowans age 40 and older have cataracts.

• 74,525 Iowans age 40 and older have diabetic retinopathy, up 40 percent from 2008.

• Nearly 27,000 Iowans age 40 and older have glaucoma.

How does the group’s vision screening program help Iowa children and how important is it?

Early detection is key to preventing permanent vision loss in children. Our free preschool vision screenings detect potentially blinding eye problems early — when treatment is more likely to be successful. More figures:

• Nearly 80 percent of all learning during a child’s first 12 years is through vision.

• 86 percent of children, approximately 162,035 in Iowa, will not receive a comprehensive eye exam prior to entering school.

• 74 percent of juvenile delinquents had failed at least one vision test.

• The Centers for Disease Con­trol and Prevention reports that impaired vision can affect cognitive, emotional, neurologic and physical development in children by limiting the range of experiences and kinds of information to which the child is exposed.

• The National Eye Institute states that “in children, visual im­pairment is associated with developmental delays, and the need for special educational, vocational and social services, often beyond childhood into adulthood.”

Are there specific programs to serve adults?

We conduct free vision screenings for adults at health fairs. We also recently began a program to provide free eye exams and eyeglasses to low-income adults. A similar program is available for children as well.

What safety tips do you have to prevent eye injuries over the July 4 holiday?